Maggie Magee

Lizzie here! The Mistress brought furry chaos to the office the other day. She came home from a trip with a tiny grey ball of fuzz. At first we thought she'd brought home a rat or a possum. She confused us by taking it in the house to show the Grandparents, though. She wouldn't do that with a rat or possum. Grandmother would've had a fit! So obviously it couldn't be either of those. After further thought, the possibility of it being a new toy for us cats was brought up. That was an exciting proposition. Then the Mistress brought it to us, adding to the hype. It was NOT a toy. It was a kitten. A small female kitten. Maggie Magee. Very tiny and quite vocal. Molly hates her. Huey ignores her. Tipsy is cautiously optimistic and wary. And me....well, I'm not sure how I feel about her just yet. I already accepted Moses being here and now there's another newbie...she is kinda cute, though. Not beautiful like me, but still. The Mistress has been keeping her in the house since she's so itty bitty, a fact that makes me kind of jealous, but I can't really be mad. A kitten her size shouldn't be roaming around willy nilly here. Too many cars, for one. Neighborhood dogs sometimes get out, too. Then there's the fact that kittens just don't respect individual territories and us older cats have our set spaces. Molly would cuff her for sure if she got into one of his places. So it's best she stay in until she can follow the rules and take care of herself. However, if she gets to stay in the house infinitely, I'm going to be furious. That wouldn't be fair to the rest of us! I'll be keeping a close eye on her for sure. I need to go check in on Maggie now, actually. It's been a few hours. Later!

Lazy Days

Lizzie here! Nothing really interesting has happened this week. It's been a week of nothing but laziness. It's kinda weird- usually something noteworthy happens, but not this week. As the weather gets nicer, the Grandparents have been spending more and more time outside. Usually on the front porch in the comfy chairs. Those chairs are the prime spot for cat naps in the afternoon, so it's been disrupting the peace a bit as all us cats fight for good spots on the porch. It's more difficult than it sounds, I assure you. If you find a good spot with lots of sunlight, chances are you'll end up getting a paw or tail rocked over by the chair. If you find a spot where you won't get rocked over, it doesn't have enough sunlight. Add in the fact that five cats are trying to find good spots on a 6' by 6' porch with two rocking chairs, and it becomes a battle royale. I don't really know why the Grandparents choose that porch to sit, since the only view is cars going by, but it's the perfect opportunity to suck up to them and gain possible entry into the house. An opportunity I cannot refuse. Besides the furry fury to find a proper sunspot, the most exciting thing that's happened recently has been the giant butterfly that's been hanging about. I heard the Mistress say it's a "Monarch". It looks like a zebra and Tipsy has become obsessed with it. She tried to get it the other day when it landed on one of the Grandmother's flowers, but it flew away so fast that Tipsy only managed to squash the flower. Grandmother was NOT happy about that and she gave Tipsy an ear-full for sure. This week has been so lazy that none of us cats have even bothered with the squirrels running about. They're all over the place, gathering nuts and hiding them and whatnot, but none of us have the energy to get up and chase them. Laziness is infectious and hard to get rid of....I'm hoping for some excitement or cooler weather to help shake it off. I think I'm going to go back to the porch and enjoy the last of the afternoon sun with the Grandparents, so later! Lizzie out!

Molly's Strange Device

Tipsy Reporting In! There's been a strange development here that has me worried, especially since we have a new member to our group. Moses is already wary and I'm afraid anything too out of the ordinary may convince him to move on - something I strongly oppose as he is a great asset to our security. The Mistress recently gave us all collars (apparently without them we could possibly be snatched up and taken away - I have yet to figure out how these collars repel such threats, however), but this week she upgraded Molly's. His collar now sports some strange mechanical device. At first I thought it might be additional protection since he has the tendency to just disappear. Perhaps a weapon of some sort. Upon further investigation, I found it to be a tracker device. I confronted the Mistress about this and she said that Molly has been disappearing for longer lengths of time now and coming back thin so she's been getting worried about where he's been going. This way she'll be able to find him and make sure he's okay. That's pretty cool, but I don't know that I would like one of my own. I'm not sure if I should inform Moses of the device's purpose - he may not like it and leave. He didn't keep his own collar on very long, despite being told that it would keep him from being taken away. I will have to try harder to convince him to stay no matter what. It's time for a border patrol, so I will end my report here. Tipsy, Over and Out!

Ribbons and Moses

Lizzie here! The newbie is now officially part of our group- he has been named by the Mistress. He is called Moses. I'm still not happy about his being here, but I guess I should get used to it. Just because he's one of us now doesn't mean he'll be blogging, though. Or getting computer time. He seems to prefer staying outside under the tree with all the shiny glass baubles anyway. All of us love that spot- it's very pretty. And cool. It's a huge area covered in shade and the glass baubles shine different colors on the ground. I wish the Mistress would hang some ribbon in the tree for us to play with. It'd be nice to play in the shade with springy, crunchy ribbons....she won't do it, though. I think she's afraid we'll break all that glass. I wouldn't. I have great aim. I'd get those ribbons without even a hair touching any of the glass stuff. Maybe if I show her how awesome I'd be at not breaking anything she'd allow ribbon in the tree. I wonder if Tipsy has any ribbon...she collects stuff....no, no I'm not going to ask her. Moses is probably with her and I don't know if he's a tattle-tail. I won't risk it. I'll just sneak into the big house- I'm really good at that. Surely there's some ribbon in there. Speaking of the big house, I hear the Grandparents outside, which means one of the doors is going to be opening soon. It's my chance- wish me luck! Lizzie out!

I Want a Tree Stump

Lizzie here! Remember that huge tree that fell in our yard during the thunderstorm? The Mistress hired some other humans to remove it, and they've been working on cutting it up into smaller pieces and taking them away. But sometimes they leave some of the cut pieces. And that, my friends, is the fun part. I'm talking Hide-and-Seek, Ruler of the Stump (I always win at this), sunbathing, claw sharpening...all sorts of great things. Stumps are fantastic. They smell wonderful, too. I've been trying to convince the Mistress to let us keep some in the backyard (less car noises back there), but she keeps asking me how I plan to move the heavy things back there. I thought her humans could do it. She said it was unnecessary trouble for them since we cats have three cat towers and multiple scratching posts, including her bottle tree, and that we don't need any more. I tried to argue that we don't have any STUMPS, but it didn't work. The workers seem to be almost done, too. That means the stumps won't be here much longer. Maybe if I get the other cats to help, we could push some of them into the backyard. Then it will be unnecessary trouble to remove them! Those stumps are pretty heavy, though....maybe I should get Tipsy and Molly to round up some of their friends from the nearby neighborhood....and I should probably do it today, since the workers will probably be back tomorrow. Hmm....yes, today would be good. I'm off to gather cats and save me a tree stump! Til next time!

Sparklers and Steak Fries

Lizzie here! It’s the FOURTH OF JULY! That means the Mistress and the Grandparents are grilling all sorts of delicious things. I hope they plan to share because I can smell the steaks and burgers all the way in here! There are already booms and screaming whistles going on, though it’s not even completely dark yet. The Mistress promised us cats that they wouldn't do any of the big fireworks, just sparklers, so we wouldn't get all frazzled and upset. I’m not too fond of the noisy fireworks. Huey doesn't care, but Molly and Tipsy go crazy, running around everywhere trying to find good hiding spots. I just hunker down in the office and play Angry Birds. Oh, I smell steak fries. They just put steak fries on the grill. Delicious steak fries of yumminess. Perhaps I will brave the outdoors long enough to snag me a few tasty tidbits….I’ll have to eat them by the carport, though, or the other cats will want me to share. I don’t want to share. They can be brave and get their own. There aren't too many fireworks going right now….maybe I can wait under the truck for the food to be done and be the first in line! It’s a solid plan. I like it. I will do it. Hope you guys have a wonderful Fourth, filled with many burgers, steak fries, and the lot! And use more sparklers, less big fireworks- kitties everywhere will thank you. Here I come, steak fries! Lizzie out!

Reluctant Surrender

Lizzie here! These past two weeks have been horrible. The Mistress is not only feeding the new cat, she's actually trying to catch it now. Looks like it's going to become a part of our group with or without my approval...it comes inside the office when no one is here, so Tipsy thinks she should be staying in here with us at night. She's even tried to herd it in here, pushing at it with her head and everything. I did all I could, I went above and beyond, so while it is very reluctant....I surrender. I surrender with dignity and grace. Somewhat. I still throw nasty looks at it when I see it, just to remind the ginger that I don't much care for it's presence. The Mistress hasn't been able to pet it, but she can get pretty close now. It's only a matter of time before it joins us. Or leaves. I'd prefer leaves. On a separate note, one of the recent thunderstorms gave us all a huge scare. The biggest tree in the front yard got struck by lightening- it sounded like a massive explosion! Tipsy "hit the deck" running and hid. I was in the bookshelf and smacked my head pretty hard on the shelf above me while Molly spun out on the floor trying to run. I think Huey was the only calm one- she just jumped a bit and looked out the window. I don't know how the Mistress or the Grandparents reacted, but when we looked, the tree was split. Half of it was in the road, blocking traffic! No people or cats were hurt thankfully, and much to my disappointment, there was no increase in birds or squirrels running about for me to chase. You'd think half their home falling over would mean they'd be out and about. Nope. I went outside fully expecting a grand chase and I got nothing. They finished cleaning up the tree today I think. At least I assume that's what the humans did- we've been in the office all day because of the rain. With the exception of the newbie, who I have not seen today. Not that I'm looking for it or anything. Anyway. The rain just cleared up, so maybe the Mistress will let us outside. Lizzie out!

Hello, I'm Huey

Hello. My name is Huey. Lizzie and Tipsy are in trouble because they got to fussing at each other over a new cat that showed up a few weeks ago, so neither of them can get on the computer. The Mistress said I could, though. So here I am. I don't really know much about the new cat situation because I stay in the office. Why would I go outside where there are noisy cars and people when the office is so much quieter? It's also cool in the summer and warm in the winter, plus our food, water, and litter box are here. Our fluffy beds are here. Why would I leave such a haven? The other cats don't understand. That's okay, though, because it means I get the office to myself for most of the day. I can hear Lizzie begging for computer time right now. She loves to get on the computer- I think she might be addicted. She plays games on here a lot- I can always tell when she's playing Angry Birds because she gets really loud and cranky. Tipsy plays a few games when she gets on, mostly Plants vs Zombies. She says it's a great defense strategy game. I usually just watch cat videos on YouTube. Molly doesn't bother with the computer- he prefers to be outside, hunting and stalking in the grass. He's quite a handsome cat. Very lion-like. And very fluffy. Keeps disappearing for lengths of time though- he calls them hunting trips, but Tipsy seems to think he's doing something else. What she thinks he's doing instead, I don't know, but she's a strange one so I don't put much stock in what she says. It's not any of my business what that tomcat's up to anyway. I can't think of anything else to type (I don't know how Lizzie does this every week) so I think I'll end it here. Have a nice Sunday, blog readers.

Plan Failures

Lizzie here! Unfortunately, that new ginger is still hanging about. My plans haven't been...well, they haven't been going quite as smoothly as I had hoped. One of my first plans was to frame it by making a mess in the Grandparents chairs out on the front porch. It was a fine plan, sure to work, until the Mistress walked by the door and saw me making the mess...I didn't get any treats that night. I thought my next plan was failure proof. I planned to get a skunk really mad and have it spray the ginger. No one likes skunk smell, so everyone would be sure to chase the ginger away! I didn't realize I was messing with a baby skunk, though, and the momma was right behind me...the Mistress wasn't too thrilled with me after that. I certainly wasn't thrilled with the end result of my failure either. I got a tomato bath. It smelled really weird, was nasty and wet...and my fur looked absolutely horrid afterwards! I STILL smell tomato on me. Maybe the big guy who does some work for the Grandparents will mow the lawn tomorrow and I can roll in the freshly cut grass. My final attempt this week was quite fantastic. And by fantastic, I mean fantastically the worst failure I've had since I started my campaign to rid our home of the strange ginger. I decided to chase the ginger into someone else's yard and have them take it in. The chase was going good until it doubled back and shot into the office. Huey made a huge fuss and was flying everywhere, so it was hard to find out where the ginger disappeared. Mistress started gathering us up for the night shortly after, and that stupid cat was still inside! I stayed outside. Yes, outside. No way was I going to go in there with that ruffian. I had decided to sneak into the big house and spend the night with the Mistress. That didn't go so well. I got caught and the Mistress put me into the office. Where that ginger was still hiding. I didn't sleep a wink that night. I woke up to the Mistress petting it and giving it TREATS. Ugh, I don't know how to get rid of this creature. It's very sneaky. I have to think up some better plans and quick, so I'm off to research! Later!

New Recruit

Tipsy Reporting In! We have a new recruit for our cat army! I have not procured a name, but I have evaluated the young fighter's skills and they rival my own! It is fantastic to finally have another cat willing to do border patrol with me. Lizzie and Molly only have interest in catching mice, moles, and birds. Huey refuses to even come out of that office. Quite annoying how lax our security is. But no more! I finally, FINALLY have another cat who understands the importance of good security and keeping our borders clear. Of course, the cat did break through our borders to get here...but I will overlook that as it has become a valued new member of my security team. If I'd had a better security team in the first place though....well, that is in the past. Presently, I have a fiery new ginger as my subordinate, one who actually listens. Quite a good mock fighter, too. I have someone to play with now. Lizzie won't leave the newbie alone, though. She keeps trying to run it off. And keeps telling me to quit playing with it. As if I'd take orders from someone lower on the totem pole than me. Psh. I certainly won't let go of the only cat who is willing to follow my orders without question. Lizzie can stuff her maw with dirty bird feathers. I, in the mean time, will guard our lands with more force, with the newbie at my side. Our home will be secure! It will be safe! Nothing shall pass into our borders! If you will excuse me, I must go patrol said borders with the ginger. Tipsy, Over and Out.

Turf War!

Lizzie here! It is no longer a turf challenge, but an all out turf war! I recently discovered the Mistress has been feeding the newbie cat at night secretly, to make sure we don't eat it. No wonder that fuzzball has been sticking around so close! I seem to be the only one immune to it's charms, other than Huey, who doesn't count since she never goes outside the office anymore and so hasn't met the intruder. The past few days I've done my best to run it off. One day I decided to sneak up on it and scream at it, but right as I was about to let out my best, loudest scream, it whipped around to face me and screamed at ME! Before I knew what was what, I was across the yard. That was a miserable fail, but I didn't give up. My next plan was to trick a neighborhood dog into coming over and scaring it away. None of them were loose, so I never got to try that one. One day Tipsy was playing with it, so I figured I'd capitalize on Tipsy's paranoia and sound the alarm so Tipsy would run for cover, abandoning the confused newcomer. Tipsy just ignored me, too wrapped up in playing to even pay attention. Tipsy never ignores stuff like that, so I don't understand what went wrong with that plan. I even tried to turn Molly against it by stealing his freshly caught mouse while he was sleeping and putting it near one of the other cat's frequent hang outs. What did Molly do? Shrugged his furry shoulders and went to find another! I don't understand these cats! I don't get why the Mistress is encouraging it to stay! What is it about this cat that is so attractive to others?! Ugh, I'm getting my fur all rumpled over it. I'm not done, though. I have other plans. That cat is going to leave! I'm going to go see if I can put one of my plans into motion right now. Later!

Turf Challenge

Lizzie here! I'm so mad right now I can't see straight! There is a strange orange cat that has been coming around here lately. This is OUR turf and no outsiders are allowed! Molly hasn't noticed him yet and Huey stays in the office so she doesn't care. And Tipsy...oh that cat! She's actually been PLAYING with the intruder! How dare she!? And of all the cats to do it! I thought she did some border patrol or something to prevent this very thing from happening! I don't understand her at all. The Mistress even chases it away when she sees it, so why does Tipsy play with it? I think I may have to intervene. Perhaps if I told the Mistress of Tipsy's distressing actions...I'll have to be careful about it though, because if Tipsy found out I told on her there's no telling what would happen. I should also tell Molly about the newcomer so he'll be on the lookout as well- Molly doesn't like strange cats on our turf either, so he's sure to drive it off. No more shenanigans with the enemy for Tipsy! I'm off to set this in motion. I'll get that stupid cat off our land for sure this time! Lizzie out!

Dippity is in Cat Heaven

Lizzie here. I have sad news- Dippity has left us for Cat Heaven. The Mistress is going to bury him beside Little Bit, with his own tombstone like Little Bit's and a special stone between their graves that tells how much the Mistress misses them both. When it's done, I'm going to put a fresh caught mouse on each of their graves. They were practically kings here- we all miss them so much. Dippity hadn't been feeling good these past weeks, but now he's up in Cat Heaven with Little Bit, frolicking in fields of catnip as young cats with no pain. I'm sure God is having fun playing with them. I miss those grumpy old timers. Molly has taken over as leader since he's the only male left, and I don't like it. He's so pushy, always trying to herd us. I'm not a sheep. We've all been sure to give the Mistress extra love since Dippity is gone- I think it helps with the pain. I'm going to go love on the Mistress some more. Until next time!

A New Blog!

Lizzie here! I'm super excited! The Mistress created a NEW BLOG! Of course, you already know that since you're reading this on the new blog. But I just couldn't keep my excitement in! I got first post, so neener neener Tipsy! Ha! I suppose since this is a new blog I should mention who the Mistress is. The Mistress is obviously my human, but she's no ordinary human. She's...a writer! Pretty cool, huh? My Mistress is THE Mary Alice Pritchard. Yup. All you other cats out there are probably jealous and wishing she was your human. Too bad, she's mine. Mine, you hear?! We have a Tipsy, she'll get you if you try to take her away from us. Anyway. This blog will be like the old one, with us cats writing the posts, maybe an occasional post from the Mistress herself! For newcomers, I am Lizzie, a fabulous, gorgeous ginger and white female with green eyes. Tipsy is a crazy brown and white female with stripes and green eyes- if she manages to sneak on here you'll see what I mean by "crazy"...the two of us do most of the blogging, but there are more cats here who do occasionally post. I am the most important, though, and I am the main blogger here. The other cats are blog thieves who need to keep their paws off my mouse! Not the computer mouse, my stuffed catnip mouse- Tipsy is running off with it! Lizzie out!